.22 inch Rimfire Other
In addition to the Ball rounds, a number of other loadings for the .22 inch Rimfire were introduced to service.
Tracer Mark I
"Cartridge S.A. .22 inch Rimfire Tracer Mark I" was introduced during WW2 as an aid to training Air Gunners.
The case was a standard Mark I long case made of copper.
The round nosed lead bullet had a hollow base in which was pressed a small amount of tracer composition. The tip was painted red for identification.
Propellant was about 2 grains of smokeless powder.
Headstamp of .22 tracer Mark I.
Box label for Tracer Mark I
Tracer Mark 2
"Cartridge S.A. .22 inch Rimfire Tracer Mark 2" was introduced post WW2 and reflected the change from Ball Mark I to Ball Mark 2..
The case was that of the Ball Mark 2 and was made of brass.
The round nosed lead bullet had a hollow base in which was pressed a small amount of tracer composition. The tip was painted red for identification.
Propellant was about 2 grains of smokeless powder.
Two further marks of tracer have since been approved, but little further details are known.
"Round .22 inch Rimfire Tracer L2A1" which is believed to be the revised nomenclature for the above Tracer Mark 2.
"Round .22 inch Rimfire Tracer L8A1" manufactured by Eley.
Proof
A proof round, " "Round .22 inch Rimfire Proof L1A1" has been approved for service but no further details are known.
Inspection
"Round .22 inch Rimfire Inspection L3A1" has been approved for the use of inspectors and armourers.
The case is that of the Ball L1A1 but chrome plated. A small hole is drilled in the base of the cartridge.
The bullet is the normal 40 grain lead service bullet.
Base of .22 inch Rimfire Inspection
There exists another type of inspection round specifically made for the Heckler & Koch .22 inch Rimfire adaptor for the L1A1 7.62mm rifle. This adaptor fires from a closing bolt and to set up the weapon correctly needed an inspection cartridge longer than normal to
simulate the position of the cartridge at the moment of firing.
The nomenclature of the cartridge is not known, nor whether it was ever formally approved.
It consists of a turned one piece brass bullet and case approximately 25mm long. There is no headstamp but some examples have a yellow bullet tip.
Humane killer
Two types of propulsive blanks have been introduced for the captive bolt humane killer. As these are blank cartridges without bullet they use "Cartridge" instead of "Round" in their title.
"Cartridge .22 inch Rimfire Captive Bolt L1A1" has a 1.25 grain charge.
"Cartridge .22 inch Rimfire Captive Bolt L2A1" has a 2.5 grain charge.
How these are marked is not known.